Worcester Sharks bottom out after weekend sweep

WORCESTER — A good AHL team won't make as many mistakes in a 76-game season as the Sharks made in this three-game weekend, which is why they don't qualify as a good AHL team.

In fact, the weekend was a rock-bottom moment for Sharks hockey in eight seasons here. Worcester was blanked in a three-in-three, losing the last two games at the DCU Center. Sunday afternoon's loss was to Portland by a 4-3 score.

This was the most disappointing of the three, it's fair to say, since Worcester came from behind to take a 3-2 lead early in the third period, then gave up two unanswered goals — both by Chris Brown — to lose it.

The Sharks are 3-7-0 in their first 10 games.

"We knew what we had to do," said Sena Acolatse, who assisted on two of the Sharks' goals. "We knew we had to be way better than (Saturday) night, and we were ready. We had chances and didn't capitalize on them, and they capitalized on the ones they had. That was the difference.

"But losing (stinks), either way."

Tobias Rieder had the other two goals for Portland, while Tim Kennedy added two assists. Adam Comrie, Nick Petrecki and James Livingston scored the Sharks' goals.

Worcester's mistakes are developing a pattern. The Sharks give up an early goal, often on the first opposing shot of the game. They wind up in the penalty box too often, frequently with a teammate or two. They score to gain some momentum, then give it right back.

"That was discouraging, to battle back like that and not have anything to show for it," coach Roy Sommer said. "I thought we played hard, and we deserved a better fate."

On Sunday, the Pirates scored two goals on six shots in the first period, two goals on four shots in the third period.

Sunday's goaltenders were Portland's Mark Visentin and Harri Sateri for the Sharks. Sateri's season has had a disastrous beginning, and the loss dropped his record to 1-6-0.

Worcester killed 19 penalties and 13 power plays for the weekend, and four times the Sharks were two men down. It happened again on Sunday, and again for a long time. Late in the second period, they had four minors from 15:05 to 19:15. Worcester's penalty killing was excellent and Portland did not score, but that takes its toll.

Rieder got the scoring under way at 3:55 of the first period, getting an unassisted goal. Taylor Doherty fell down as he came out from behind the net and the puck went directly to Rieder in the slot. His wrist shot hit the crossbar and went in.

Comrie put a wrist shot over Visentin's right shoulder at 12:17, tying the game on a power play, but Rieder put a 25-footer past Sateri at 16:59 to regain the lead for the Pirates.

Petrecki got his first goal of the season, and first overall since Jan. 11, at 6:58 of the second period to make it 2-2. He connected on a 40-foot wrist shot through a screen.

Livingston gave the Sharks their first lead of the weekend when he took a drop pass from Acolatse and snapped a 35-footer past Visentin at 3:52 of the third period, but Brown was left alone in front of Sateri at 8:01 and slipped a short shot through his pads.

With Worcester pressing a few minutes later, the puck wound up in no-man's land between Petrecki and Kennedy high in the Portland zone and Petrecki opted to back up, rather than try to send it back in deep.

Kennedy led his line down ice with a 3 on 2, passed it to Brown, and he got the game-winner from between the circles at 11:27.

Not long after, the Sharks' worst weekend in a couple of years was over.